Turning Twenty-One (Rewritten)
by stardust.breath
Summary: It's Joss's twenty-first birthday and he decides to go out for a few drinks. When he meets a girl at the bar, he doesn't realize that his life is about to turn upside down. She's not exactly human, and soon Joss finds himself in a bad situation. The tables have turned. [Rewritten version]
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, fellow CoVT fans! I originally wrote a story called 'Turning Twenty-One', but it wasn't exactly well-written. So here's my rewritten version :)**

**The original will stay up for those of you who enjoyed reading it, so don't worry about it being taken down.**

**Hope you guys enjoy this one as much as you enjoyed the original. Please leave a review if you like it; if there's anything you question or any errors you notice, don't hesitate to let me know! :)**

**I don't own anything. All characters (except Charlotte; she belongs to me) belong to Heather Brewer.**

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**Chapter 1**

Joss McMillan was tired.

After a long day of tracking a nest of vampires that recently made their home in New York City and coming up with little to no new information, he was exhausted.

When he had called it a day and returned to his apartment, he realized that it was his twenty-first birthday.

And no one had wished him a 'happy birthday'.

Henry was probably too busy with October and their relationship to remember that it was Joss's birthday, Vlad had his nose in his college textbooks, studying for his upcoming midterms (Otis helped the half-vampire develop better study habits), and Joss's parents were still treating him as if he were invisible. The other slayers were up to their knees in work, trying to track down these dangerous new vampires, so Joss understood why his slayer family couldn't wish him a happy twenty-first.

But Henry? His parents? His blood-related family couldn't bother to call him or text him?

Feeling more than a little dejected, Joss headed to the nearest bar and figured he'd celebrate his birthday alone by having a few drinks.

_Invisible boy,_ he mused to himself, nodding thanks to the bartender as he accepted the cold bottle of Budweiser he'd ordered. _That's all I'll ever be._

After taking a few sips, he started to feel numb, which was by no means a bad thing. He liked feeling numb. Numb meant no pain, no feeling. Nothingness.

After downing almost half the bottle, a nice little buzz started to take over his brain. His thoughts were becoming cloudy and slow, something he welcomed.

Joss didn't want to think about his dead sister, who wouldn't stop her merciless torment on his conscience while he slept, his estranged parents, his few friends, his lifelong commitment to the Slayer Society; all he wanted was to be numb.

"A dry martini, please."

He turned to see a very pretty woman standing next to him. Her curly black hair fell to the middle of her back and her bright blue eyes seemed to twinkle in the dim lighting. Her perfect lips shone with red lip gloss and said lips were turned up into a soft smile. Her strapless black dress just barely covered her chest and ended mid-thigh.

His eyes drifted up and down her figure, taking in her curves. He swallowed.

_Damn_.

Before he realized what he was doing, he had given the bartender a twenty, nodding towards the lady.

She went to protest, but he winked at her.

His shyness was gone, pure McMillan charm taking its place.

"On me, beautiful."

She blushed and accepted the drink.

"Thank you."

Joss smiled.

"No problem," he replied, taking another sip of his drink.

The lady stared into her beverage before looking up.

"What's your name?"

"Joss," he replied. "And yours?"

She smiled. "Charlotte. It's nice to meet you, Joss."

He swooned at the sound of her voice. It was like velvet dipped in the finest, sweetest honey. He had never heard such a beautiful sound.

Joss took a few more sips before studying her.

"So, what's a pretty girl like yourself doing in a bar?" he asked. "Are you meeting someone here?"

Charlotte shook her head, looking into the contents of her glass. "Nope. It's been a long week and I need to unwind."

Joss nodded in understanding. It'd been a long week for him, too, not counting the fact that he was spending his birthday by himself.

With a sigh, Joss downed the rest of his beer and set the empty bottle down, asking the bartender for another.

The buzz in his head was too light for his liking.

Charlotte watched him take a long swig of his new bottle and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder when he had placed it down.

"Are you all right?"

The brown-haired man nodded, composing himself. "Oh, yeah. Sure. I've just had a hard day, that's all. Long week."

"I hear that." Charlotte took a small sip of her drink before sitting down next to him. She shook her head before resting her cheek in the palm of her hand. "I work in the fashion industry and all week, my boss has been giving me shit for coming in late. It's not my fault that there's heavy traffic in the morning."

He wished he could relate to what she said. A normal job, normal problems, a normal life. But the fact was that Joss _wasn't_ normal; he killed vampires for a living and got paid a pretty good amount for each big-shot vampire he killed.

He didn't need to worry about working.

Whatever Charlotte said next became a blur as he continued to drink. The only things that truly stuck out in his mind about this girl was that she loved the color blue, worked in the fashion industry as a model, and, judging by the look in her eye, she liked Joss.

She liked Joss _a lot_.

Before Joss knew it, Charlotte had grabbed him by his shirt collar and kissed him for all he was worth. She tangled her fingers in his hair and tilted her head, licking his bottom lip to ask for entrance. The kiss quickly grew heated and Joss began to feel quite hot.

"Your place or mine?" he whispered in between sloppy kisses.

Charlotte grinned. "Mine."

Joss paid for both of their drinks before following Charlotte to the parking lot. He got into his car and followed her to a decent-sized house just on the outskirts of New York City.

Once they both got out of their cars and met on the front porch, their lips locked once more, tongues beginning yet another battle for dominance.

The last thing Joss remembered was going upstairs to Charlotte's bedroom and shedding his clothes.

He was so wasted that he didn't even care that the woman below him sported a deadly pair of fangs.

Nor did he care when said fangs plunged into his neck.

* * *

When Joss awoke, he was grateful for the darkness that surrounded him. His head was pounding and his stomach was roiling.

_Ugh... I shouldn't have drank so much..._

As Joss began to wake up more, he tried to remember last night's events. This room was clearly not his own; the bed sheets smelled like cinnamon and vanilla, whereas Joss's room smelled like his favorite cologne.

Nothing from last night came to mind except a woman with black hair and mesmerizing blue eyes. Joss shut his eyes tightly, fighting to summon last night's memories. He ended up giving up, not wanting to give himself more of a headache.

Once his stomach had calmed down enough, he sat up and looked around.

The bright green numbers on Charlotte's alarm clock showed that it was one in the afternoon. The entire room was still pitch-dark from the thick drapes that guarded the window.

A thought suddenly struck him.

Where was Charlotte?

As if on cue, the door to Charlotte's room opened.

"You're finally awake," a smooth, sweet voice purred. The voice was so sweet it almost made Joss want to vomit.

He turned to see the raven-haired girl in the doorway, wearing nothing but a flimsy nightgown that just barely covered her full breasts. She was still gorgeous, but Joss didn't feel right. While last night he had wanted nothing more than to get in her bed, warning bells were going off in his head at the mere sight of her.

Something was wrong. _Very_ wrong.

"Good morning," he said, trying to be polite.

Charlotte sauntered into the room, sitting on the bed. Her eyes held amusement, as if Joss had said something funny.

"I can't believe a lightweight like you was sent to dispatch my brothers and sisters," Charlotte said with a chuckle. Her eyes roamed his body. "The Slayer Society is losing their touch."

Joss's eyes widened. "What?"

He winced at the sharpness of his voice and clutched at his head. He was still majorly hungover.

Charlotte tilted his chin up, her long nails digging into the skin under his chin.

She grinned, revealing two pearly-white fangs, and Joss felt terror well up within him.

_She's a vampire._

"I must say, though," she continued, retracting her fangs. "Even though you're a human, I rather like you. I would have never guessed that my mate would be you, my dear slayer."

"No way," Joss nearly shouted, sliding off the bed. He tried to feel around for his discarded jeans, ignoring the pounding headache that was starting to make his stomach turn.

Charlotte watched his blind fumbling, amused, and smiled. "Sorry, couldn't have you wake up and stake me since I'm pretty important to my clan. After you passed out last night, I hid your stake. You must be high in ranks; I didn't realize a slayer could have his initials engraved into his stake. Yours is made of pure silver, too; that had to cost a pretty penny."

Joss bit his lip nervously, realizing he was totally defenseless against this vampire.

_I shouldn't have let my guard down like that! What am I supposed to do, now?_

The noirette smiled at him. She was clearly enjoying this; the game of cat and mouse was usually won by slayers, but now the tables were turned.

"You don't even realize that you've changed, do you?"

Joss gave her a queer stare.

"What do you mean 'changed'?"

Charlotte gestured to her neck.

Hesitantly, Joss reached up to finger his neck. There were two small punctures.

He tried to breathe. "Okay, so you bit me. I didn't change."

Charlotte shook her head. "You may not feel it now, but you did change. You're not human anymore, sweetie."

Joss felt his heart sink into the deepest pit of his stomach.

"You're lying."

In a blur, Charlotte made her way past him towards the drapes and opened one just a crack, letting a sliver of sunlight pour in.

Joss was surprised when he suddenly hissed and retreated back into the darkness of the room. He knew he had a hangover and sunlight wasn't the best thing to face right now, but he had never made a sound like that before in his life.

Nor had he ever moved so quickly. There was only one explanation for why he had hissed and moved so inhumanely fast.

Joss was a vampire.

Charlotte closed the drapes once more, earning a sigh of relief from the poor boy. "See?

Joss felt a wave of sadness wash over him.

_How could I let this happen?_

"I can see that you are not quite pleased with your new nature, so come sit by me and I'll explain a few things," Charlotte said, taking a seat on the bed and patting the spot next to her. Joss reluctantly sat down next to her.

"You're going to stay with me as my lover. As long as you behave yourself, I'll make sure you stay alive, even though I was originally given orders to kill you."

Joss felt himself relax slightly.

"But," Charlotte continued. "If you try to run away or stake me, I'll have to punish you."

He watched her raise her hand and felt the girl's razor-sharp nails rake down his cheek. He winced; Charlotte planted a kiss on his lips before letting her nightgown fall to the floor.

"Your first order as my lover," she whispered, her lips next to his ear. "Is to satisfy me."

She began planting kisses around his neck, around the mark she'd made on him last night, then up around the corners of his lips, his cheeks, one on the tip of his nose, his forehead, and finally, his lips.

As they began to fall into lust, Joss could feel his canines extend slightly.

Charlotte noticed and ran her tongue over them, shooting him a half smirk.

"You're turned on, huh? That's good; you should be."

Joss tried not to kiss her back or even touch her, but his body and his mind were clearly not on the same page. While his mind was screaming at him to shove her off of him, his hands rested on her small waist, eventually sliding back to grip her rear end. She moaned and wrapped her legs around his waist, her hands cupping his cheeks while she continued her merciless assault on his lips.

Until he came up with a plan to get out of here, he had to convince Charlotte that he had given up on leaving.

As Charlotte continued to kiss him, rubbing her body against his slowly, he allowed himself to kiss her back.

It didn't take long for them to fall back to the bed.


	2. Chapter 2

**One of my reviewers questioned my use of the word 'blackette'. I had been trying to describe Charlotte by her hair color, as one would refer to a brown-haired person as a brunette, and as a light-haired person as a blonde. I didn't realize there was a word for black-hair, which is noirette. My apologies if anyone was offended by my ignorance.**

**I don't own the Slayer Chronicles or the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod.**

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**Chapter 2**

When Joss awoke, he could feel a painful burning at the back of his throat.

At first, he thought he needed water. Sleep clouded his mind, shielding him from the knowledge that he was no longer human and that he no longer needed water to sustain him.

The brunette got up and began to walk towards the private bathroom. He relieved himself before grabbing a cup and turning on the sink.

Joss took a sip of water and waited for his thirst to be quenched, but the burning only became worse. Thinking it was merely a dry throat, he took another sip, only to gag and nearly spit it back up.

The burning grew worse. Yesterday's events flashed through his mind: the knowledge that he was no longer human, Charlotte's status, sex with Charlotte..

He threw the paper cup out and returned to the bedroom. He pulled on a pair of boxers left out for him and rushed downstairs to the kitchen, where he had a feeling Charlotte would be. She was fully clothed and sitting at the table, her laptop in front of her. She smiled at the brunette, who glared in return.

"_You_!" he snarled. "You turned me into a monster!"

Charlotte shot him an amused smirk. "I thought we established this yesterday."

Joss didn't know what to say or do. This was a really bad situation to be in; he was a slayer and if the Slayer Society caught wind of his turning, he would be killed, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

The frustration Joss was feeling must have been on his face because Charlotte's smirk immediately turned into a frown. She approached him and, much to the slayer's surprise, wrapped her arms around him. She tilted her head up, locking her gaze with his, and Joss felt his anger towards her dissipate.

Why did she have to be so adorable?

"What's wrong, Joss? Are you thirsty?"

He was surprised to hear genuine concern in her voice. He wasn't sure vampires were capable of compassion and kindness.

Vlad was one exception and perhaps Otis was, too. The rest? Well... They were used for stake target practice.

"I-I... N-no, I'm not," he lied. He didn't want to drink blood. He wanted to sit down to a nice stack of pancakes and go outside, to see the sun again. It reminded him of Cecile; she was such a bright, energetic young girl and she used to love playing outside.

He felt a surge of pain at the thought of his deceased sister.

_I've failed you, Cecile.._

Charlotte cupped Joss's chin and forced him to look at her. She smiled softly.

"I can tell you're lying. Don't worry, you don't have to hunt right away. I've got bagged blood."

Joss didn't reply. With a sigh, the noirette disappeared in the kitchen and returned minutes later with a mug of warm blood.

The boy's nostrils flared at the scent of warm blood. His canines lengthened, their sharp points poking his tongue.

He tried to fight his instincts as much as he could, but they were overwhelming. Once he took a sip of the warm red liquid, he found himself gulping it down. The more he drank, the more the pain faded.

Charlotte simply chuckled and handed him a coffee container filled with warm blood.

"Newborns."

Joss ignored her and continued to drink his fill. Once he was finished, he noticed the container was completely empty.

He felt ashamed.

_I've got to get out of here fast. Maybe Otis and Vlad will know what to do; the Slayer Society certainly won't accept me like this. They'll know something's up with the way I'm acting._

Joss reluctantly brought the empty container into the kitchen and washed it. Charlotte came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him. Joss tensed when she pressed her lips to the puncture marks on his neck.

"Feel better?" she asked.

Joss could only nod. He didn't trust himself to speak; he felt like he wanted to cry.

He had to give her credit; she was pretty clever to trap and turn a slayer like him.

Charlotte sighed. "Are you going to talk to me at all?"

Joss narrowed his eyes. "You've trapped me, Charlotte. Because of you, I've become something I've devoted my life to killing. What am I supposed to say?"

She pouted. "For one thing, how about thanks for the blood? I didn't have to get it for you, you know. I could have brought a live human here for you. At least acknowledge the fact that I'm being considerate towards how you would feel."

_She does have a point_. "Okay, fine. Thanks for making sure it wasn't from a... _live_ source."

"You're welcome, sweetheart. Now, can I have a kiss?"

The tone of her voice made the puncture marks throb slightly. He swallowed; suddenly, the room felt hotter. He could focus on nothing but the dark-haired beauty behind him. His body seemed to relax at the mere sound of her voice.

Charlotte seemed to notice the change in his body language because she smiled.

She turned the brunette around and pressed her lips to his. Joss ignored the slayer part of him that was screaming for him to pull away. He moved his lips against hers fiercely, giving into his instincts.

The black-haired woman pulled away after a few moments, much to Joss's dismay.

"I was thinking we could spend the day together," she said, taking his hand and pressing his palm to her cheek. "I'd hate to tell people I barely know who my soul mate is. I want to know more about you."

Joss was wary of her. "But why? Why not just kill me? What's this whole 'mate' thing got to do with me?"

Charlotte sighed. "You don't know much about vampires, do you?"

He didn't reply.

"Every vampire has a soul mate, much like every human has a soul mate," she explained, closing her eyes as she held Joss's palm to her cheek. "When I first walked into the bar that night, I picked up your scent and I immediately knew that you were the one destined for me. It's easier for vampires to tell who their soul mate is because we've got a heightened sense of smell, but it's harder for humans. Sometimes humans are lucky and meet their destined one at some point in their lives; others spend their whole lives and never meet the one created for them. It's not surprising to me that you couldn't tell I was your soul mate; you were human when I met you."

Joss nodded to indicate he was listening.

"That's also why I disregarded my orders to kill you," Charlotte continued. "If you kill the one destined for you, then you die a slow, painful death. The heart and soul can't take it; your mind begins to collapse. I mean, don't get me wrong, I still want to see how this plays out."

She ran her fingers over his cheek, her blue eyes watching him carefully.

"A slayer and a vampire princess. It sounds like an interesting story, does it not?"

"But.. you were sent to kill me," Joss protested. "Whoever sent you will know I'm not dead and they'll go after you."

"They know your name, darling -not what you look like. I can parade around with you in public if I want to and they'd never suspect you were the one they were after. All I have to do is tell them that the slayer they wanted is dead and that's the end of that. So, you get to keep your life and I get to be happy. I think that's a fair deal."

Joss bit his lip and nodded. It did sound fair, even if he was now the very thing he despised.

Besides, Charlotte didn't seem that bad. She could be worse; instead of offering him explanations and being kind, she could torture him.

He tried not to shudder. Vampires were not merciful creatures. Sirus and Otis had been, but they were exceptions. All other vampires he had encountered were hostile, ready and willing to kill. If Charlotte had taken the opportunity to hurt him while he had been drunk, he would most likely be dead and drained dry.

Joss knew he needed to come up with an escape plan soon, but for now, this was okay. He just had to get the hang of this new life and then he'd escape.

He just needed to play along with whatever Charlotte wanted and get her to trust him.

"What did you want to do?" he asked. "Did you want to just stay here and watch a movie or something?"

Charlotte smiled. "Perfect!"

He hated to admit it, but this girl was quickly growing on him. She was just so bright and beautiful.

"Okay, I'll pick out a movie. Why don't you go make yourself comfortable in the living room?"

Joss obliged and waited for her to put the movie on.

The house was very warm and welcoming for a vampire's hideout. The walls were a nice, calming beige and the wooden floors were slightly aged. They gave off a feeling of wisdom, as if this house had seen a lot.

When the movie started, Joss noticed that Charlotte had quickly changed into a T-shirt and a pair of short-shorts. She looked downright adorable.

She snuggled up to him; he hesitated before wrapping an arm around her.

Charlotte smiled when she felt the slayer's arm snake its way around her shoulders.

_He'll be all mine soon, _she thought. _And then he'll forget all about the Slayer Society._


End file.
